April 14, 2012

Advanced health care planning, also known as advance directives, can consist of both oral and written orders intended to address a person's health care wishes if he or she is unable to speak for him- or herself. There are different forms of advance directives, as well as many situations presenting their own set of individual questions.

To help people sort through the array of information and answer their questions, Adirondack Health's director of pastoral care, the Rev. Steve Kovacevich, and Barbara Touby, RN, of High Peaks Hospice and Palliative Care, will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday in the main lobby of Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake. There will be information available on the importance of completing the health care proxy, "Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment" (MOLST) form and living wills, among others.

National Health Care Decisions Day is a collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations committed to ensuring all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their health care decisions.